Removable and collapsible top for vehicles.



W. B. WEST.

REMOVABLE AND COLLAPSIBLE TOP FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 17. 1915.

1,200,556. Patented Oct. 10,1916.

FIG. 1 a 35 F6 35 9 1 33 J 35 1.7

27 v 36 32' 20 szmfl l 8 35 a 25 I 15 1 E 1 M INVENTOR WILLIAM B. WEST,OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

REMOVABLE AND GOLLAPSIBLE TOP FOR VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 10, 1916.

Application filed April 17, 1915. Serial No. 21,959.

To all w ham it may concern:

Be it known that I, l/VILLIAM B. WVns'r, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city of Philadelphia, in the county ofPhiladelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Removable and Col lapsible Tops for Vehicles, ofwhich the following is a specification.

One object of my invention is to provide a top for a vehicle comprisinga frame structure consisting of a plurality of members detachablyconnected with each other and the said frame structure also comprisingmembers which are detachably connected with the body of the vehicle.

The object or purpose of constructing the frame of a plurality ofmembers detachably connected or joined with each other is to permit ofthe separation of the said members when or as the frame is removed fromthe body and collecting or gathering them into a bundle and eitherwrapping them within the cover of the top or not as may be desired sothat the frame and cover constituting the top may be transported in thebody without taking up an unnecessary amount of space.

A further object of my invention is to provide a top including a framestructure having members which extend forwardly and rearwardly fromcentral supporting members thereof which are detachably connected withthe body of the vehicle which forwardly and rearwardly extending membersmay be held in proper relation to the adjacent portions of the body bymeans of the top'cover, which is secured thereto in cooperation withmeans depending from the frame and secured to the body or a part rigidlysecured thereto.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be referred to in thedescription thereof which follows or will be apparent therefrom.

In order that my invention may be more readily and clearly comprehendedand understood reference should be had to the accompanying drawings inwhich I have illustrated one form of a convenient embodiment thereof butit will be understood that changes in the details of construction may bemade within the scope of the claims without departing from my invention.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of the bodyof a vehicle provided with a top embodying my invention; Flg. 2 is alongitudinal central sectional view of a vehicle top embodying myinvention; Fig. 3 is a view showing a portion of the frame of the topand illustrating certain details of construction; Fig. 4B is a side viewof a portion of the frame including a. member which is adapted to beconnected with the body of the vehicle; Fig. 5 1s a view showing aportion of the body in section and illustrating the manner in which theframe is connected with the body; and F ig. 6 is a sectional view of anedge portion of the cover of the top showing one of the eyelets by meansof which the cover is secured to the frame.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the body of a vehicle, such asan automobile, and 2 designates the opposite side members of a framestructure employed for supporting the cover of the top. The lower endsof the members 2 are tapered as indicated at 3 and are adapted to fitinto a tapered socket 4 secured in the top edge of the body of thevehicle. The upper ends of the members 2 are each provided with sockets6 which receive the reduced ends 7 of the members 8 and 9. The members 8and 9 meet at about the longitudinal center of the top of the Vehicleand one of them, 9, is provided with a socket 10 which receives thereduced projecting end portion 11 of the member 8.

The members 2 are each provided at points adjacent to their upper endswith two pairs of lugs 15 between which the members 16 and. 17 arepivoted whereby the said members 16 and 17 are pivotally connected withthe members 2 as is clearly shown in the drawings. The members 16 extendrearwardly as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings and areconnected with members 19 and 20 in the same manner as the uprightsupporting members 2 are connected with or joined to the members 8 and 9and likewise the members 19 and 20 are connected or joined with eachother in the same manner as the members 8 and 9 are connected or joinedwith each other.

The forwardly extending members 17 are connected or joined at 25 withthe members 26 and 27. The connection between the members 17 and 26 and27 and between the two latter members is also made in the same manner asthe connection between the members 2 and 8 and 9 and of the latter toeach other.

The cover 30 of the top is adapted to rest or be supported at its centertransverse line upon the members 8 and 9. Adjacent to its opposite endportions it is provided with eyelets or button holes such as thatdesignated at 31 in Fig. 6 of the drawings which eyelets are adapted tobe engaged by buttons or studs upon the rear and front members 19 and 20and 26 and 27 of the frame. The cover having been secured to the saidmembers in the manner stated the latter are then drawn downwardly ortoward the body of the vehicle by means of straps 35. These straps aresecured by means of buttons 36 or otherwise to the respective members 8and 9 of the frame and extend longitudinally of the frame structurepassing over the front and rear members 19 and 20 and 26 and 27. Therear ends of the said members are detachably secured to buttons 32 uponthe back of the seat with which the body is provided while the forwardends of the said straps 35 are connected to the frame of the wind shield37 by similar buttons. The front and rear end portions of the straps 35preferably should be provided with a plurality of eyelets or buttonholes situated longitudinally thereof to provide for adjusting andtightening the same; that is, if it is desired to draw the cover verytightly over the central supporting members 8 and 9 of the frame therear and front supporting portions of said frame comprising the members19 and 20 and 26 and 27 should be drawn down with greater force thanwhen it is intended that the cover shall be left slack or loose.

Assuming that the top, including the frame and cover, is .in place, andthat it is desired to remove the same, the rear and front ends of thestraps 35 should be disconnected from the body and the wind shield. Therear and front supporting members 16, 19 and 20, and 17, 26 and 27 arefolded upwardly upon the pivots which connect the members 16 and 17 tothe upright supporting members 2. The cover may then be disconnected orunbuttoned from the buttons or studs 32 upon the rear and front membersof the frame structure. The Various members 2, 8, 9, 19, etc, may bethen disconnected from each other and the several members placedtogether in a bundle and wrapped within the cover and the whole, ifdesired, placed in a bag and carried along in the vehicle body withouttaking up an objectionable amount of space. To place the top upon thevehicle body the parts 2 may be first placed in position as shown inFig. 1 and the several parts 8, .9, 19, etc., joined together afterwhich the cover may be fastened to the studs or buttons 32 either at thefront or rear end of the top and then the members 16 and 17 or eitherfolded upwardly so as to cause the members 19 and 20 and the members 26and 27 to approach each other so that the other end portion of the covermay then be secured to the other studs or buttons after which themembers 16 and 17 may be allowed to fall downwardly upon their pivotsand secured in such position and held taut or fixed by connecting theopposite ends of the straps to the studs or buttons upon the vehiclebody and upon the wind shield thereof. The edges of the cover depend orhang downwardly as indicated at 4:0 in Fig. 2 of the drawings and inorder that the depending edges may be prevented from curling or flappingaround unnecessarily I have provided strips of metal, as 41, at thelower edge of such depending edge portion.

The members 26 and 27 constituting the front end portion of the frame ofthe top and the members 19 and 20 constituting the rear end portion ofthe frame of the top may respectively be positioned relatively to thetop edge of the wind shield and to the top edge of the back of the seatcomprised in the body as may be desired merely by positioning theeyelets or button holes 31 the desired distance from each other. Ifthese eyelets or button holes are situated a certain distance from eachother the cover resting at its center upon the members 8 and U 9 maysupport the members 19 and 20 and 26 and 27 certain distances above thetop edge of the back of the vehicle seat and a certain distance abovethe top edge of the wind shield 37 whereas if the said eyelets or buttonholes were situated farther apart from each other these rear and frontend members of the frame 19 and 20 and 26 and 27 would assume positionsnearer to such edges.

It will be seen, therefore, that I have provided a top for vehiclespossessing very advantageous features of construction in that thesupporting frame thereof is made up of a plurality of members capable ofbeing readily separated and disconnected from each other and from thebody of the vehicle to remove and dismantle the top and also capable ofbeing readily reconnected or rejoined to each other when it is desiredto set the top up as it were; and also that I have provided aconstruction whereby the positions of the front and rear edges of thetop with respect to the top edge of the wind shield and back of the seatof the vehicle body respectively may be varied merely by increasing ordecreasing the distance between the eyelets or button holes near thefront and rear edges of the vehicle cover with which the studs orbuttons upon the front and rear portions of the frame are adapted to beengaged.

I claim 1. A removable and collapsible vehicle top comprising uprightmembers removably supported upon the opposite sides of the vehicle body,means extending between the upper ends of the said upright members saidmeans comprising a plurality of members adapted to be connected with anddisconnected from each other and the said means being adapted to beconnected with and disconnected from the upper ends of said uprightmembers, bow-shaped members extending forwardly and rearwardly from thesaid upright members said bow-shaped members each comprising a pluralityof members adapted to be connected with and disconnected from eachother, a cover supported along an intermediate transverse line by saidmeans, means for connecting the opposite end portions of the said coverto the forwardly and rearwardly extending bowshaped members, and meansextending longitudinally of the said top and having connection at itsopposite ends with relatively fixed portions of the vehicle body wherebythe opposite end portions of the top may be drawn toward and held insubstantially fixed relation with respect to the said body.

2. A removable and collapsible vehicle top comprising upright membersdetachably connected to the opposite sides of the body of a vehicle theupper ends of said upright members being connected with each other byrods detachably connected thereto and with each other, pivoted armssecured to the said upright members adjacent to their upper ends saidarms respectively extending forwardly and rearwardly the rear ends ofthe rearwardly extending arms and the front ends of the forwardlyextending arms being connected with each other by members detachablyconnected therewith and to each other and flexible straps havingconnection with the rods connecting the upper ends of the said uprightmembers and with the members connecting the rear ends of the rearwardlyextending arms and the forward ends of the forwardly extending arms saidstraps having connection with the vehicle body at points toward the rearand toward the front thereof, substantially as described.

3. A removable and collapsible vehicle top comprising upright membersdetachably connected to the opposite sides of the body of a vehicle theupper ends of said upright members being connected with each other byrods detachably connected thereto and with each other, pivoted armssecured to the said upright members adjacent to their upper ends saidarms respectively extending forwardly and rearwardly the rear ends ofthe rearwardly extending arms and the front ends of the forwardlyextending arms being connected with each other by members detachablyconnected therewith and to each other and flexible means havingconnection with the rods connecting the upper ends of the said uprightmembers and with the members connecting the rear ends of the rearwardlyextending arms and the forward ends of the forwardly extending arms saidmeans having connection with the vehicle body at points toward the rearand toward the front thereof, substantially as described.

4. A removable and collapsible vehicle top comprising upright membersdetachably connected to the opposite sides of the body of a vehicle, theupper ends of said upright members being connected with each other byrods detachably connected thereto and with each other, bow-shapedmembers extending forwardly and rearwardly from said upright members,said bow-shaped members each comprising a plurality of members adaptedto be connected with and disconnected from each other, .and flexiblemeans having connection with the rods connecting the upper ends of thesaid upright members and with the members constituting the forwardly andrearwardly extending bowshaped members, said flexible means havingconnection with the vehicle body at points toward the front and towardthe rear thereof, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have hereuntosigned my name this 1a day of April, A. D. 1915.

WILLIAM B. WEST.

In the presence of S. E. GIBBoNs, S. TAYLOR. v

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G.

